Luggage case



Feb. v22, E938. l.1. RITTER, JRQET AL 2,w8903 LUGGAGE CASEy Filed March 16, 1936 l ZZ'IIIIIIIIM N Patented Feb. 22, 1938 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFHQE LUGGAGE CASE Application March 16, 1936, Serial N0. 69,053

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in luggage cases of the type equipped with adjustable fixtures for folding and confining one or more garments within the carrier or con- 5 tainer,

Many types of fixtures for folding and confining garments within an ordinary luggage case, comprising relatively movable body and cover sections, have heretofore been proposed. Most of these prior fixtures are so complicated in construction and mode of operation, as to make their use by the genera-l public impractical. While some of the prior fixtures for thus loading and confining mens garments within a carrier case l5 are relatively satisfactory, many of the prior devices are unsatisfactory for the purpose of loading and retaining relatively delicate dresses and other Womens garments which are susceptible of being easily stretched, distorted and undesirably wrinkled or crushed. These delicate garments, due to their length, must frequently be folded several times before they are sufliciently compacted to permit confinement thereof within a section of a luggage case; and the mechanism for eecting such folding and subsequent confinement should avoid sharp creasing, stretching and rubbing of the fabric.

It is, therefore, a general object of the present invention to provide an improved garment supporting fixture which, besides being extremely simple, compact and durable in construction, can be readily manipulated to load and unload fragile and delicate ladies wearing apparel Without danger of injuring, disheveling, distorting or shifting such garments.

There are many types of garment confining luggage carriers on the market wherein a folding frame cooperates with loading bars removably mounted in a case section, in suitable brackets or supports, at the inner end of the frame. In all prior arrangements of this general character, the supports or brackets for the loading bars are disposed so that when the case is opened and the frame is in a lowered position for the iirst loading and folding step, said brackets hold the loading bars in a stacked relationship either in the plane of the frame, or at right angles to the plane of the frame in the afore-mentioned position. Consequently, with either arrangement, when there is a movement of the loaded frame from the original position toI the conning position, through an arc of 180, there is either an increase or decrease in the distance between the loading bars and the folding bar at the outer end of the frame. Consequently, during the movement of the frame with the garments thereon to the confining position, there must of necessity be a distortion, stretching, or shifting of the garments, which is objectionable with respect to fragile garments. 5

A specific object of the present invention is to overcome the afore-mentioned difficulty by providing a luggage case of the character described wherein the individual garment bars are so disposed relative to the frame that the distance between the same and the bar at the outer end of the frame is precisely the same in either the raised or lowered position of the frame, with the result that garments carried by the frame and bars are not shifted, distorted, or stretched during the manipulation of the frame from one position to another.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a luggage case wherein a garment bar is carried by a bracket by being disposed in a slot extending along the locus of points equidistant from the limits of movement of the frame.

Another specic object of the invention is to provide, in a luggage case, simple bracket means for removably and shiftably carrying the ends of garment bars, and arranged so that said garment bars may be easily released and engaged by flexing one of the bracket members.

Another object of the invention is to provide a luggage case having easily manipulated means for foldably confining a number of full length garments within one section of the case, while maintaining the other section of the case free for the reception of other luggage.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a luggage case and garment supporting means associated therewith, which are of light weight, but rigid and durable in construction, and which permits the manufacture of the case at a minimum cost. 40

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

A clear conception of an embodiment of the features constituting the present invention and of the mode of constructing and operating luggage cases built in accordance therewith, may be had by referring to the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification in which likereference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views:

Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view through the open luggage case, showing the garment folding frame positioned over the body section of the case preparatory to loading and folding garments;

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Fig. 2 is a similar transverse sectional view through the open case, showing the garment supporting frame moved through an angle of approximately 45 and the resulting movement of a hanger bar relative to its supporting brackets, to co-mpensate for the relative frame and bar position during the manipulation of the frame and prior to reaching its ultimate position;

Fig. 3 is a similar transverse vertical sectional View through the open case only with the garment supporting frame in loaded position within the cover section of the case;

, Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional View through the open luggage case taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentarydetail sectional view showing a mounting bracket for the garment bars and the relationship between the same and the garment folding frame.

While the invention has been shown and described herein as being applied by way of illustration to a relatively small and light luggage carrier for ladies garments, it should be understood that some of the novel features are more generally applicable to other types and classes of luggage carriers, and it is not the intent to limit the invention by such specific disclosure.

The improved luggage case illustrated in the drawing comprises in general a body section 8 having a cover section 9 pivotally or hingedly connected thereto by means of hinges It. The garment folding and confining mechanism, of the improved construction, is mounted'entirely within the cover section 9, but the garment folding frame is adapted to be moved down to extend over the body section 8 as in Fig. l, for loading purposes. The body section 8 may be provided with the usual carrying handle I I, and the cover section 9 may be swung into engagement with the body section and locked thereto by means of the usual latches I2. The cover section 9 is held in substantially upright position when the body section 8 is disposed horizontally and the cover section 9 is in open position, by means of foldably connected stays or retainers I3 of the usual type. Y

The improved garment folding and supporting fixture comprises generally a garment folding Vframe I4 permanently and swingably supported by means of pivots I5 upon the inner side walls of the cover section 9 near the main hinge I0, said frame having an integral transverse garment folding bar or rod I6 connecting the outer ends ofthe side members of the frame I4 and remote from the pivots I5.

Mounted upon opposite inner wall portions of the cover section 9, adjacent the hinged end thereof, are a number of separated yieldable or exible brackets I'I. Each bracket I'I has an offset ear portion by which it is attached, and the major portion of the bracket is free and yieldable and extends angularly outwardly in a direction substantially equi-distant between the planes of the cover and body sections of the case, when the case is fully opened, and this direction of extent of the bracket is therefore at substantially 45 from either limit of position of the garment folding frame I4. 'Ihe extending portion of each bracket is furthermore formed cooperation with the folding frame I4, one or more similar garment carrier bars 2U are provided. Each bar 20 is formed with reduced stub ends 2| to engage and move in the slots I8 of the brackets Il and adapted to coact with the slots I8 in a manner tol prevent rotation of the bars relative to the brackets Il while permitting movement of the bars longitudinally of the slots.

The luggage case may furthermore be provided with a garment protecting and confining ap 22 made of fabric and one end of the ilap is permanently attached to the interior of the inner end of cover section 9. The opposite end of the flap, is freely movable and adjustably carries a catch 23 which is cooperable with a hook 24 permanently secured within the swinging end of the cover section. When the loaded frame is positioned within the cover section said Iiap may be stretched tautly thereover and is so secured -by means of the elements 23 and 24, and thereby serves to confine the frame and garments and to protect the latter. The body section 8 of the case is provided with stop blocks 25 secured to the inner portions of the side walls thereof, as shown in Figs. l, 2, 3 and 4, and said blocks serve to limit the forward and downward swinging motion of the frame i4.

When it is desired to load the improved luggage case with garments, the garment bars 20 are iirst removed and the individual garments are folded over said bars which are then inserted in the brackets I'I in stacked relationship and at an angle of substantially forty-five degrees, relative to either section of the case. The engagement of a bar is extreme-ly simple and it is only necessary to insert a stub end 2l in. a bracket slot IS, after which the other bracket is flexed outwardly laterally, and the other stub end of the bar is pushed into the slot of the other bracket, being guided thereto by the grooved, flared portion I9. When one or more bars 20, carrying garments, are thus disposed inthe brackets Il, said bars will be disposed in the position of Figs. l and 5, and the garments folded over the carrier bars extend out over the bar end I6 of the frame I4, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 1. The frame I4 may now be swung upwardly away from the blocks 25, whereupon the rod I6 becomes effective to fold the garments midway between the bars 2Q and the garment ends. During the swinging movement of the frame, as it approaches a forty-five degree position, as in Fig. 2, the distance between the carrier bars and the frame bar increases, and ordinarily a pull would be exerted on the garments. This, however, is overcome, by the mounting of the carrier bars in the slots I8, so that during this movement, the bars are free to move upwardly slightly in the slots to compensate for the increased distance and to overcome any pull or elongation which might occur. YThis action is shown in Fig. 2, and with the continued ymovement of the frame toward the position of Fig. 3, the carrier bars gradually drop down in the slots, as the tension or pull thereon decreases. In connection with this action, it should be observed that the pivot mountings l5 for the frame I4 are located adjacent the slots I8 and intermediate the ends of the same. Therefore, said slots form a locus of points equidistant from given portions of the frame when it is in either limited position of movement. Obviously, in all positions of the frame, there is no pull or strainv imposed Y on the garments, and during movement of the frame, when a slight elongation or pull might counteracts such tendency.

After the position of Fig. 3 is reached, the protecting flap 22 is secured in position in the manner previously described and the case sections may be closed relative to each other, the folded garments then being confined entirely in the cover section.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the invention provides simple, compact and readily manipulable means for permitting one or more full length garments to be eiectively packed within a container of small size. Also, the folding and conning mechanism is ideally adapted for womens garments of a fragile character and imposes no strain, pull, or distortion thereon.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact details of construction herein shown and described, for various modifications within the scope of the claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. A luggage case, comprising a pair of hingedly connected sections, a garment sup-porting frame pivotally mounted in one of said sections and swingable from one position to another position at substantially a right angle to the first position, brackets xedly carried b-y said one section and located adjacent the pivot of the frame and having xed slotted arms extending at all times at an angle substantially bisecting the angle traversed by the frame in moving from one limit to the other, and a garment engaging bar mounted directly in said brackets and slidable lengthwise along the slots in the arms thereof and directly therein during swinging movements of the frame when the bar and frame are cooperating in the folding and confining o-f garments engaging both of the same.

2. A luggage case, comprising a pair of hingedly connected sections, a garment supporting frame pivotally mounted in one of said sections and swingable from one position to another position at substantially a right angle to the rst position, brackets xedly carried by said one section and located adjacent the pivot of the frame and each of said brackets having a Xed arm with a slot therein, said slot extending at all times at an angle of approximately forty-five degrees relative to the extreme frame positions, and a garment engaging bar mounted directly in said brackets and slidable lengthwise along the slots thereof and directly therein during swinging movements of the frame when the bar and frame are cooperating in thefolding and confining of garments engaging both of the same.

JULIUS RITTER, JR. SYEVIROUS ESSMUS. 

